Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 7I6,569 Patented Doc. 23, I902.

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ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheetsshnet l.

No. 716,569. Patented Dec. 23, I902.

E. MOREAU.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Applicaticn filed Dec. 26, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Nu. 7l6,569. Patented Doc. 23, I902.

E. MOREAU.

AC'ETYLENE GAS GENERATOR (Application filed, Dec. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet3.

rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE MOREAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BRITELITE LAMP COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ACETYLEN E-GAS G EN ERATO R.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,569, dated December 23, 1902.

Application filed December 26, 1901. Serial No. 87,269. (No model-l To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EUGENE MOREAU, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at New York city,in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Acetylene Lamps or Generators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to insure the extinguishment of the lamp and the cessation of the generation of gas upon the accidental or other overturning of the same; and, stated in general terms, the invention comprises means for positively separating the carbid and fluid chambers and devices of an automatic nature which when the lamp is turned out of proper position operate to permit said means to positively effect such separation and which when the lamp is in normal position do not in any way interfere with or affect its ordinary operation.

The nature, characteristic features, and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description,taken 2 5 in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a view, principally in central section, of a lamp embodying or containing features of the invention with a portion of 0 the base-chamber omitted; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the upper portion of a lamp embodying or containing a modification of the invention. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the lamp turned bottom upward 3 5 and the parts locked in position. Fig. 4 is a detail. Fig. 5 is a detail of the part 14, showing its slot 1 1.

In the drawings, 1 and 1 are valves which are operatively disposed with respect to valve-seat 1 between the carbid-chamber 2 and the fluid-chamber 3. These means 1 and l rise and fall when the lamp is in operation and in that way feed carbid from the chamber 2 to the chamber 3. As shown, these 5 means 1 and 1 are connected with a gas-bag or its equivalent 4.--for instance, by means of a spindle m-so that the parts 1 and 1 rise when considerable gas is generated, and after that gas is burned or otherwise used they fall and in that way feed more carbid. These means are well understood. The spindle w is provided with a coil-spring 00, which tends to normally hold it in its lowered position- 1'. e., for feeding carbid. The gas-bag 4 may be supported and carried by a partition 19, 5 5 which also has a depending sleeve or casing 20 for the coil-spring m.

At A, Figs. 1 and 3, is illustrated a device set forth and claimed in my application serially numbered 65,920, which forms no part of this invention, but which operates when the lamp is overturned to automatically close the passage 6, by which the gas travels in the lamp (shown for the sake of illustration) from the chamber 3 and finally into the bag 4 and from thence by way of the pipe or flexible tube 7 to the burner 8. The said means comprises a casing 5, communicating with passage 6 and having valveway a, plunger-valve b, and pendant c. The pendant tends to hang vertically, and when the lamp is overturned the pendant by reason of its weight operates to shift the valve and close the valveway a, as shown in Fig. 3.

9 is a handle which is used to shift the lever 10, that is connected, as by a fork 10, with the gas-bag, so that when the handle 9 is turned the lever 10 is turned, by reason of the fact that the spindle of the handle 9 screws toward the left, and in that way the spindle 9 can be made to turn the lever 10 and lift the gas-bag in such position that the means 1 closes communication between the chambers 2 and 3. This would obviously result in the extinguishment of the light, because it would stop the feed of carbid, and it is a customary way of putting a light out.

Having thus referred to many parts that are not features of the present invention, but are useful in connection with a description 0 of it, I will now proceed to describe the parts which constitute the subject-matter of the present application.

Devices are provided for locking the lower portion of the means 1 in position for closing 5 communication between the chambers 2 and 3 whenever this lower portion shall have risen higher or traveled farther than it is intended to do in the normal operation of the lamp. Otherwise expressed, if the top of the gas bag should rise higher than it is intended in the normal operation of the lamp it will be locked in such position, with the result that the means 1 close communication between the chambers 2 and 3. As shown in the drawings, this is accomplished by providing a detent or catch 11, Figs. 1 and 4, which is attached, as at 11, to a portion of the casing and is sufficiently far away from the lever 10 to prevent engagement of the lever 10 by it during the ordinary operation of the lamp, or if the lever 10 should travel farther than it is intended to do during the ordinary operation of the lamp the catch or detent 11 will engage it and hold it, and in holding the lever 10, since the latter is connected with the top of the gas-bag and since the spindle m is also connected with the top of the gas bag, it follows that the part 1 will be locked in position for interrupting communication between the chambers 2 and 3. To limit the travel of the part 1 during the ordinary operation of the lamp and to prevent it from traveling far enough to be looked, as described, exce'pt when the lamp is overturned, or at any rate is not in vertical position, use is made of means which will now be described and which consist of a body 13, which when the lamp is in upright position comes between some part connected with the part 1 and a fixed portion of the casing, and in that way prevents the described locking, and which body when the lamp is moved out of upright position by reason of that movement changes its position and permits the additional movement which will insure the described locking. This body 13 rests upon a dished support 14, so that when the lamp is in upright position the body gravitates to the bottom of the dished part and in that way comes between the stop 15, Fig. 1, and 16, Fig. 2, and some part connected with the part 1, and thus serves to limit the travel of the part 1. The body 13 and its complemental dished support may be applied to a portion of the casing or to some part connected with it, and, as shown in Fig. 2, a skirt on the part 14 encircles the pressure-regulator which is fixed to the casing, and this skirt is connected with the pressure-regulator by means of slots and pins, so that it is capable of sliding upward. As shown in Fig. 1, the part 14 is attached to the top of the bag and the stop 15 projects, as also does the stop 16 in Fig. 2, from a portion connected with the casing. The part 14 in this figure is provided at its top with a slot 14 whereby the stop 15 is adapted to cooperate with the ball or part 13 in the manner aforestated to limit the travel of the part 1. The part 15 may also protrude through the said slot, as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 2 the skirt of the part 14 encircles the pressure-regulator, and the bottom of said part 14 is provided with a slot 14 whereby the projection 16, ,ball or part 13, and a projection or stop 4 on the gas-bag cooperate to limit the movement of the part 1. In the drawings there is illustrated as interposed between the part 9 and the catch or detent 11 means whereby the spring, under conditions to be hereinafter mentioned, is lifted so as to release the part 10. These means comprise a cam-surface 17 and a pro vision or enlargement, as 18, adapted to cooperate with it, so as to lift the catch 11 when the handle 9 is screwed or shifted toward the left in the drawings.

The mode of operation of the described improvement may be explained as follows: Should the lamp be turned out of vertical or upright position, the body or ball 13 would obviously roll,under the influence ofgravity,out of range of the stop 15, Fig. 1, or 16, Fig. 2. If water should reach the carbid-chamber by flowing past the parts 1, the generation of a considerable quantity of gas would ensue. Such gas so generated would operate to expand the bag 4, and since the body 13 is out of the way the top of the bag, and with it the part 1, would rise far enough to turn the lever 10 into position for being locked by the end of the catch or detent 11. When so locked, the lower end of the part 1 would positively close communication between the chambers 2 and 3. Consequently no water could reach the carbid or carbid reach the Water. The gas so generated would either be consumed in a very short time at the burner if the lamp were lighted or it would simply escape and do no harm, and the locking of the parts as described would prevent positively the generation of any more gas until the lamp were put in upright position and the catch or detent released. It will of course be understood that when the lamp is generating gas the left-hand end of the part 9 has released the part 10, and after the overturning of the lamp and the operation of the parts as described the operator in order to restart the lamp would screw or otherwise shift the part 9 toward the left. In doing so the cam-surface 17'and provision 18 cooperate to release the part 10 from the detent 11, so that when the operator again shifts the handle 9 toward the right the lamp will again generate gas and operate in the ordinary manner. When the ball 13 is in its proper position, as shown in the drawings, with the lamp upright, the looking device cannot come into play and the lamp will operate in the normal and well-understood manner.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that modifications may be made in details without departing from the 'spirit thereof. Hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts hereinabove set forth, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings; but,

Having thus described the nature and objects of the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an acetylene lamp or generator means for closing communication between the carbid and water receptacles, devices tending to positively lock said means, and provisions for restraining the locking devices when the lamp is in upright position and for automatically permitting them to operate when the lamp is in any other position, substantially as described.

2. In an acetylene lamp or generator a carbid and a water receptacle, a valve between the two, means responding to the generation of gas for operating said valve, devices for locking said valve upon its excessive travel, and a movable body for limiting the travel of the valve when the lamp is in upright position and for clearing the valve when the lamp isin any other position, substantially as described.

3. In an acetylene lamp or generator the combination of a water and a carbid chamber, a valve between the two, a gas-bag for operating said valve, a movable body for limiting the travel of said valve when the lamp is in upright position and for freeing said valve when the lamp is in any other position, and a locking device for locking said valve when freed by the movable body, substantially as described.

4. In an acetylene lamp or generator the combination of a carbid-chamber, a waterchamber, a valve between the two, a gas-bag and its connections for operating said valve, a lever connected with the gas-bag, a detent adapted to engage said lever, and a movable body and its dish-shaped support for controlling the travel of the valve, substantially as described.

5. In an acetylene lamp or generator a feed mechanism,locking devices for the feed mechanism,and a movable body and its dish-shaped support cooperating with the feed mechanism and lockingdevice,substantially as described.

6. In an acetylene lamp or generator a feed mechanism, devices for locking said feed mechanism when the lamp or generator is out of vertical position, manual means for controlling the feed mechanism, and devices interposed between said means and the lock- 7 In an acetylene-generator, a safety-lockv comprising separate chambers for holding the gas-generating elements, a passage from one 7 to the other, a valve therefor, means for operating said valve and means to lock said valve when the generator is tipped from the desired operative position.

8. In an acetylene-generator, asafety-lock comprising separate chambers for holding the gas-generating elements, a passage from one to the other, an automatic valve therefor, means for operating said valve and means to lock said valve when the generator is tipped from the desired operative position.

9. In an acetylene-generator, a safety-lock comprising separate chambers for holding the gas-generating elements, a passage from one to the other, a valve therefor, a collapsible gas receiving chamber for operating said valve and means to lock said valve when the generator is tipped from the desired opera tive position.

10. In an acetylene-generator, a safetylock comprising separate chambers for holding the gas-generating elements, a passage from one to the other, a valve therefor, means for operating said valve, and an automatic collapsible gas-receiving chamber, automatic means to lock said valve when the generator is tipped from the desired operative position.

11. In an acetylene-generator, a safetylock comprising separate chambers for bolding the gas-generating elements, a passage from one to the other, a valve therefor, a collapsible gas-receiving chamber for operating said valve and means to lock said valve when the generator is tipped from the desired operative position so as to hold said gas-receiving chamber distended.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

EUGENE MOREAU. In presence of v F. G. B. GREEN, M. TURNER. 

